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Stunning work, inspirational.
How long did you take to make it?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Hey Colin, if this was directed toward me thank you! It took about 4 days to make all rosette components and inlay them, the vast majority of that time was spent waiting for glue to dry however.

Thanks! Did you make the thin veneers yourself?

I recently made a rosette with a herringbone ring but (not knowing what the heck I’m doing) I bought what I thought were pretty thin dyed veneers - mostly about 1 mm. It turned out ok for a first effort but looks coarse - lacks that elegant, refined look. And the strip was a bear to bend.

I bought all of these veneers already thicknessed to 0.5mm (B and B rare woods) but then used my Byrnes model machines thickness sander to thin the maple and black border veneers. Traditionally an adjustable veneer scraper is used for this task but the little drum sander makes the job much faster. As an aside, I highly recommend using polyurethane glue (I use regular Gorilla glue) to do all of your glue ups with veneer. Titebond or other water based glues can lead to warping which will distort the design and when laminating 20-50 veneers will take days to weeks to fully cure. PU glue also holds up to heat much nicer making bending effortless.

When I'm working in Spain (roughly half the year) I buy much of my veneer from Maderas Barber; they sell thicknesses ranging from 0.3mm to 1.0mm which makes herringbone and rosette making much faster. This herringbone was made from commercially available 0.3 maple and 0.5mm black veneer from Barber. The cuadralitos (square motifs) are made from 1mm black veneer and 1mm maple veneer also from Barber. The only veneers not from Barber are the green lines which are 0.3mm dyed green from Rivolta, I doubled the green lines to make those 0.6mm.

Thanks for the details. I’m going to have to look into that model makers thickness sander. Although it seems a stretch that I can justify it. Maybe I can make my drill press drum sander a little more precise.

Honestly if I didn't have the small sander or want to spend the time making/using a veneer thicknessing jig I'd just have veneer from Barber shipped to the states (I am 100% not affiliated with them other than having spent a lot of money there). Bear in mind they sell veneer in 1 square meter bundles so you receive between 7-9 sheets for about 9 dollars. Shipping will be a little pricy but not as crazy as you'd think; their pricing compared to us suppliers more than makes up for the added shipping costs

https://maderasbarber.com/tonewood/en/n ... size-03_mm

Unfortunately, Jim Byrnes passed away sometime in the last two years. The family has not yet made any plans to have someone else make Jim’s fantastic little machines. You might be able to find them used, but due to Jim’s death, the price for used models has gone up a lot.

I am lucky enough to have bought one of Jim’s table saws, a thickness sander, and a small disc sander, all used, and all before he passed away, so the prices were not completely crazy. I also stocked up on spare parts and accessories after Jim’s passing (they are selling what they have on hand). Very prized possessions. Great little tools.

I will say, though, that you can put together a decent small drum sander without much work. A motor driving a drum, and a table that tilts, are all you need. That’s all Jim’s sander consists of (albeit with really nice parts).

I have his table saw and a lot of accessories which are absolutely amazing and accurate. RIP Jim.

Brian, that is a fantastic rosette!

It's brace carving time here.

Sinker Western Red Cedar top and Cocobolo back.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

That is some sexy Cocobolo

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I have a new guitar-shaped box. Western Red Cedar top, cocobolo back and sides. I used offcuts from the sides to make the bindings and they're matched with where they came from on the sides. The purfling is curly maple on the top, sides, and back.

Onward to making the neck now.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Wow... this thread has had very nearly two million views.

So this is my 5th Ron Klon clone pedal build from the StewMac Ghost Drive kit. It's great fun and the pedal is the best sounding overdrive pedal I have ever used or heard and I have tried most of them...

It is very organic sounding with tons of harmonics and overtones and of course it has that massive mid range boost that actual Klons and Dumble amps are famous for.

I built this one to take a battery (installed) or power supply so it's ready rock and it fired up the first time with zero issues and it's portable too since it can use a battery.

Why have I built five of these now? Because people come over to my place to jam and love the pedal when they try it so I give it to them.... What are ya going to do. I like building them too it's a very enjoyable process and StewMac has excellent pedal and amp kits and top shelf support if you require same.

Thanks to one of the million posts, one by you Hesh, about the Ghostdrive I had to build one and it was a fun project. As a ham radio operator dabbling in electronics is hard to resist. My better half was giving me some lighthearted flack about building an effects pedal for an electric I haven't built yet on top of not knowing how to play. I got her back by naming mine the Tron "Sue"Drive (after her).

I'm a wannabe guitar player so it doesn't get much use but hopefully someday it will. I have a passion for building that gives me unlimited patience for the craft but put an instrument in my hands to play and the patience vaporizes in minutes.

I think I suffer from having my guitar teacher quit on me when I was a kid, you'd think after 60 years I'd be over it.

This has been a great thread, thanks for starting it!

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

Thank You Brian we sound like we have a lot in common including the need to always be doing some project. I'm sure the Tron "Sue" Drive was a good move too and helps pave the way for future pedal acquisition

So I was 8 years old and my father the psychologist where we had a 3,000 resident state mental hospital, Coldwater hooked me up with a guitar teacher and my parents bought me a Silvertone acoustic that had action so high you could slice hard boiled eggs with it....

I went to my very first lesson ever on the second floor of the local music store, Music Mart in Coldwater. The teacher was a grease ball with a DA haircut and enough grease in his hair to lube a car. He had a white T-shirt with one of the short sleeves rolled up around a pack of Marlboro smokes. I think he had arrested James Dean development.

He had a 335 and a Fender Super reverb and as he showed me stuff he was not explaining why these things were as they were. So I did what I often did at that age and kept asking him why, why, why....

He cut the lessons short and told me he did not feel good and I should go home... So while I was walking home he phoned my father as asked him to never bring me back for lessons again. True story.

Fast forward 61 years and several months ago one of our regulars who is semi-famous musician and band leader and I discovered that his drummer was my childhood best friend and the reason I could never find him in 61 years was he changed his name to a stage name only.... It's one word too.

He's made his living all his life drumming and has opened for Queen, Nugent, The Who, Clapton and more. He even spent a weekend with Ginger Baker and did not kill him although he said he wanted to. Baker is well know as an a-hole....

So I'm in touch with my dear childhood friend and I bring up the story of the grease ball guitar instructor who flunked me out after less than one whole lesson. I never had another lesson after that either. My friend knows him, he's still alive and we are planning on showing up at his house since my friend and the grease ball know each other. Then my friend will spring it on him that the little kid he kicked out of guitar lessons is sitting on his sofa now....

That's the plan and we are going to do this in July when my friend is back.

Anyway should be fun if the guy does not stroke out when he learns who I am

Too funny Hesh. Maybe we should start a thread of funny stories. Heck, everybody has them. I grew up in the motor city late 60's one of my friends was a roadie for the Amboy Dukes. Most of my concert going was the Grande, great music for $3.50.

My guitar was a Kay with similar action. Shortly after flunking guitar I was singing in the church choir sunrise Easter service and the guy next to me was the preachers son. He leaned over and said, "Brian, just mouth it, you are screwing everyone up." My mom finally let me quit the choir. True story too. My problems may run deeper than yours.

Cheers bud!

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

I’ve been playing since my pre-teens (classical at first). In my twenties I started to make guitars. One day a friend looked up at a wall of guitars I had made and asked, “what do you need ten guitars for? Can you really play ten guitars at once?” My father overheard and quipped, “he can’t even play them one at a time.”

I was so stung I started practicing in earnest. Now, decades later, I probably average two hours of playing a day. Nothing like humiliation to motivate you!


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I see an opportunity here for us to form a band We can call ourselves The Terribles

Randy you're invited to join The Terribles with Brian and I

OK, I'll start practicing, promise!

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

First coat of epoxy pore filler is on.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

^^^ OMG! ^^^ That is love at first sight!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince